Michael Sutton is in his 14th season as Director of Athletics at
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps after a 21 year coaching career in the
department. During his tenure as director of athletics, Sutton has
overseen a department that has grown to 21 sports -10 men’s,
11 women’s- at the NCAA Division III level in addition to 13
club sports and an intramurals program. Sutton has overseen the
addition of women’s lacrosse and women’s golf to the
varsity level. Approximately one in six students at Claremont
McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College
participate in intercollegiate athletics at CMS.

Sutton is the fourth individual to hold the title of director of
athletics at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Over his tenure, CMS teams
have won 98 SCIAC titles in 17 of the 21 sports, a SCIAC-best 14
tournament titles and captured 10 overall SCIAC All-Sports
trophies. The success of CMS Athletics across the board has seen
the program earn five top-25 finishes under Sutton in the NCAA
Division III Director’s Cup standings, including a
program-best 13th place finish in 2012-13.

Prior to becoming director of athletics at CMS, Sutton coached
for 21 years. He spent 21 seasons as the Stags’ swimming
coach (1979-2000) and 19 seasons as the men’s water polo
coach and won a combined 33 SCIAC titles. As head swimming
coach, Sutton coached the Stags to a 143-52 overall record, 101-4
in SCIAC meets. A total of 22 individual swimmers were crowned as
NCAA national champions under his leadership. In addition, his
teams had six second place finishes at the NCAA level. In 1983,
Sutton was chosen as the NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming
Coach of the Year. He also coached the women’s swim team for
a season (1999-2000). In his 19 years (1979-1997) as water polo
coach, Sutton’s teams won 15 SCIAC titles and three Western
Water Polo Association (WWPA) titles as he posted a 384-206-1
overall record, 178-12 in SCIAC matches.

Sutton is a former member of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Rules
Committee and the NCAA Water Polo Committee and was the team leader
of the 1992 United States Olympic Water Polo Team. He is a 1976
graduate of Claremont McKenna College.